Weezer is notorious for being one of those bands that had a few great albums and then just pretty much flopping the rest of their career. They’ve been picked on enough so I won’t be cruel because at the end of the day I do like this band. But damn this album is just so incredibly bad. It’s as if they went to a frat house and just wrote lyrics with that audience in mind. It’s eye-rollingly corny, immature, and sometimes just plain stupid. Even a few of their slow songs really crap the bed, too. Miss Sweeney may be my all time most hated Weezer song ever created, like honestly what is that song? It’s fun for high school but does not age well at all.

Let me start with saying I do love People Under The Stairs, I believe that The Dig deserves to be on the list for 100 greatest hip-hop songs of all time, any true hip hop head would include them in such a list. But here’s the thing, The Next Step is more of a jam session than an actual album. There are very few hooks or even tangible themes throughout the tracks, and honestly it’s a really ballsy thing to do. One of the emcees known for having hookless tracks is MF Doom, and, well with all due respect, to quote Zorak “you’re no doom.” It’s an album that wants to be a De La Soul or Tribe Called Quest release, but isn’t as calculated as those groups tend to be.

Bloc Party has been one of those bands that makes great songs, but not amazing albums. Hymns is just the next evolution of the band falling from grace more and more. It’s just a boring album, there’s really not a whole lot happening, I can’t imagine the band being all that proud of this contribution, it’s just a big bland mess of sound that offers a couple semi-catchy tunes, but is more disappointing than anything.

Here’s the thing with Junk when the tracks hit, they hit hard. There are some truly amazing songs on this album. But as with most electronic albums I’ve come across there is a lot of filler short tracks that weigh it down. Ugh if only they’d cut this album in half and add more like the good songs on the album then we’d have something to talk about.

It’s pretty sharp, I think it’s a really cool looking picture that makes me really want to get into this album.

Want to Own on Vinyl?:

Not in the slightest.

Final Thoughts:

Selling out. to me, is when you leave your fanbase to try to make music that’s popular at the time. That’s exactly what’s wrong with Good Sinner, this isn’t the Pigeon John I know and love. This is a Pigeon John that has been shaped by what is popular. The music is catchy for the moment then instantly forgotten. The lyrics are meaningless and radio friendly. I get that you have to make money as an artist, but it’s sad to see one of my favourites (the creator of great tunes like As We Know It and Rock Bottom Again) churn out an album as poor as this. The Identity Crisis continues, please go back to Dragon Slayer and/or Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister.